Houston is set to host its first World Series game since XX Friday night, the first of three straight in a city that was just months ago drenched by deadly Hurricane Harvey.

The best-of-7 series between the Astros and Dodgers comes to Houston tied, 1-1, and a sense of overwhelming tension only postseason baseball can provide. Fitting the epic moments sure to come, the games will be ushered in by a trio of people with special meaning to Texas and beyond.

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Injured Houston Texans superstar defender and fundraiser extraordinaire J.J. Watt is throwing out the ceremonial first pitch Friday; a 7-year-old with a rare condition who has a 3-D printed hand will toss it Saturday; and former President George W. Bush will make the pitch Sunday.

A brief look at each pitcher:

J.J. Watt: A three-time NFL Defensive Player of the year, Watt is the heart of the Texans. Unfortunately, his season ended early with a knee injury. Nothing on the field could have outdone his efforts in raising funds for Harvey relief, though. He initially wanted to raise $200,000, but people rallied to his cause in incredible numbers and he ended up raising $37 million.

Hailey Dawson: This Nevada girl was born with three fingers on her right hand, a result of a rare condition known as Poland syndrome. Instead of a costly prosthetic, though, her mother reached out to engineers at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for help. "They accepted the challenge," she told CBS This Morning, and they built her a hand with a 3-D printer. The family loves baseball, so Hailey began to throw first pitches at UNLV games and even threw one for the Baltimore Orioles. Now, it's the World Series: "I started crying. Who gets to do that? My daughter. She gets to do that," her mother said. "When she does it, she talks about Poland syndrome, she talks about her hand. It's that awareness for her. It's that awareness for us."

President George W. Bush: The 43rd president is no stranger to baseball. He once owned the Texas Rangers, and he delivered one of the most famous first pitches in history. Weeks after the 9/11 terror attacks, Bush took to the mound before Game 3 of the 2001 World Series in New York City. Wearing a FDNY jacket, he received a loud ovation and threw a strike right over the plate. We'll see if he still has it in his throwing arm come Sunday.